Dimond High School
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
A. J. Dimond High School | |
---|---|
Public magnet secondary | |
Established | 1967 |
School district | Anchorage School District |
CEEB code | 020003 |
Principal | Tina Johnson-Harris |
Faculty | 73.88 (FTE)[1] |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 1,526 (2018–19)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 20.66[1] |
Color(s) | Maroon and gold |
Fight song | Dimond Fight Song |
Mascot | Lynx |
Newspaper | Igaramkin |
Yearbook | The Spectrum |
Website | www |
A. J. Dimond High School (DHS) is a public four-year high school in Anchorage, Alaska, and is a part of the Anchorage School District. It has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Dimond serves students in the Sand Lake, Kincaid, and Bayshore areas of suburban Anchorage, and had an enrollment of 1,709 as of November 25, 2016.[2]
History
Early years
Named for the
The original school contained gymnasiums, a pellet gun range, a planetarium, a small and large theater, and a shared library. The original building housed both Dimond High and Jane Mears Junior High School. Mears, the sister of
New building
In April 1999, Anchorage voters approved the construction of a new building for Dimond High School. The new building opened in the fall of 2003. During the 2003-2004 school year Dimond classes were held in the new building and a small west wing ("Casa Cinco", due to being a fifth wing to the new school and housing a large number of the foreign language classes) of the old building, with the rest of the building used for Mears Middle School. In the summer of 2004 the old building was demolished and in the location of the old Dimond High school is now the parking lot of the new building. However, the building that housed the gym, weight room, and swimming pool was not demolished and remains a part of the school. In the summer of 2008, its exterior was remodeled.
On November 30, 2018, the campus was damaged during the 7.0 earthquake that occurred that day. Ceiling tiles and other fallen debris covered the floor throughout the school. There were no injuries on the school grounds.[3]
Athletics
4A division high school sports are offered at Dimond High School: baseball (boys'), basketball, bowling, cheerleading (basketball, hockey, and football), competitive cheer, cross country running, cross country skiing, football (boys'), flag football (girls'), gymnastics (boys'), ice hockey, riflery, soccer, softball (girls'), swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball (girls'), and wrestling. Dimond also has a Debate/Drama/Forensics team, World Language Declamation Contest participants, and American Legion Oratorical Contest participants. In 2009, Dimond was named the top athletic program in the state of Alaska by Sports Illustrated[4] after winning that year state championships in girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, competitive cheerleading, girls' track & field, and baseball. Since then, for a total of three consecutive years, the Dimond volleyball team has won the state championship twice more, each year producing a State winner for the Gatorade Player of the Year award. In 2006, the alumni foundation got 750-thousand dollars from the Alaska Legislature and 250 thousand dollars from the Anchorage School District to put in an artificial football field. Construction was halted in July 2007 after Governor Sarah Palin vetoed the final half million dollars in funding to finish the project. On July 6, 2007, the alumni foundation secured anonymous donor funding of $500,000 to finish it. 30,000 Nike shoes were recycled to create the rubber for the turf.
Demographics
Ethnicity | Percentage (%) |
---|---|
White
|
48.4 |
Black
|
4.3 |
Hispanic | 9.6 |
Pacific Islander
|
15.2 |
Alaska Native
|
8.7 |
Two or more races
|
13.8 |
Notable alumni
- Irene Bedard - actress (Pocahontas)
- Blair Chenoweth - Miss Alaska (2003), Miss Alaska USA(2007)
- Jason Grenn - member of the Alaska House of Representatives
- Barrett Heisten - professional ice hockey player
- Wasilla, key figure in the Alaska political corruption probe
- Chris Kuper - professional football player with the Denver Broncos
- Brock Lindow - lead singer of 36 Crazyfists
- Lesil McGuire - member of the Alaska Senate from Anchorage; her district includes the school
- Charisse Millett - member of the Alaska House of Representatives from Anchorage
- Jim O'Rear - professional actor, stunt-man, screenwriter
- Alissa Pili - professional basketball player with the Minnesota Lynx
References
- ^ a b c "Dimond High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "School Enrollment by Grade as of October 1, 2014" (PDF). eed.state.ak.us. February 10, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Bragg, Beth (December 1, 2018). "Alaska Airlines Center gym floor flooded after earthquake". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ "Sports Illustrated: Top athletics program in each state and the District of Columbia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "ASD Ethnicity report" (PDF). ASD. October 31, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2015.